Meeting for worship in the meetinghouse and RE are canceled for Sunday, February 1, due to icy conditions on Commonwealth Avenue.
Join f/Friends to spruce up the meetinghouse on Saturday, May 3, 9-12. There's a task for every age and ability! Contact Ada Hammer with any questions.
Approved at Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, 12/20/20 The RFM Meetinghouse remains closed due to the COVID19.
Starting January 4, members and attenders will be able to access the building for one hour to sit in the worship room or spend time in the library, at designated times, by appointment. This new policy applies to individuals or people within the same pod. It is not intended for group usage. The times available are as follows:
Worship room appointments: Mondays at 9AM, 12PM, 3PM, 6PM.
Library appointments:
Wednesdays at 9AM, 12PM, 3PM and 6PM
Anyone wishing to enter the building must have an appointment for a specific time. These can be made by emailing Bob Alexander at bobandbarbalex@verizon.net. When you make an appointment, Bob will provide the outside door passcode.
Safety policies for building usage are posted at the Commonwealth entry to the building. The Library has new safety protocols, posted there, including a box on the floor for “touched books”.
Note that to conserve energy, the worship room is being kept at 60 degrees, the brick building/library at 55 degrees, so dress accordingly.
Friends, this is a reminder that the meetinghouse is still closed due to the pandemic.
The building should only be used for specific committee-related activities that require a physical presence inside. Maintenance and upkeep projects are in process. We want the space to be as safe as possible for those who are caring for the building, including members of our community and contractors.
The same door code had been in use for a long time and had been distributed widely. Since building use is now limited, it is a good time to update the code. If you need to access the building for a meeting-related purpose, please contact your committee clerk.
Outdoor spaces, such as the garden and picnic table, ARE available for use. Enjoy! Please maintain suitable distances and consider wearing a mask if others are present.
Thank you,, Rita Willet, Clerk, Richmond Friends Meeting
Meeting for Worship and Meetinghouse update:
The Clearing is closed, at least through the end of April.
Rita Willett, Clerk of Meeting
Friends, I trust that you are grateful, as I am, for our beloved Friends community. Committees and individuals are
working with generosity and diligence, finding ways to care for one another in this uncertain and scary time.
I have been communicating with trustees, clerks of committees, and individuals in appointed roles to consider our
way forward, since there were decisions to make fairly quickly. Many of you have, no doubt, been involved in your
committee’s deliberations and plans. Here’s an update:
In-person Meeting for Worship has been cancelled until further notice. Please consider a time of worship at
home – 9:30 or 11:00 on First Days – to continue our practice of joining in the Spirit, even when we cannot
be together in person. A number of Friends are working on the logistics of a virtual meeting for worship, so
that is a possibility in the weeks ahead.
The Meetinghouse is closed to all users, also until further notice. We do not have the resources needed to
achieve recommended levels of sanitation for a community meeting place. Some of the Friends who
routinely volunteer to clean our meetinghouse are, themselves, at higher risk of illness. Suitable supplies are
scarce or unavailable. Experts tell us that the risk of widespread infection is significant in the days and
weeks ahead. We want to be responsible stewards of our facility and act in the best interests of both our
meeting and our wider community. This was a difficult decision – we cannot accommodate the community
groups who routinely use our building. We will welcome them back when we can do so safely.
Arrangements are being made by committees for the care of the Meetinghouse and Clearing. The only
individuals who should be in the buildings are those who have been tasked with these responsibilities by the
building committees.
The garden at the Meetinghouse is open to individuals who would like a quiet place for reflection or
meditation. (No groups, please.)
Friends, continue to hold each other, our Richmond community, and the world in the Light as we navigate the days
and weeks ahead. Reach out – to one another, to member of Care and Counsel, to me – for support as needed.
One of my favorite definitions of hope is to live as if joy is still possible, even in times when joy seems remote. Let’s help each other hold on to hope.
Rita Willet
Clerk of Meeting
Please Park as a Good Neighbor. The Meeting recently has been reminded that we are located in a residential community, and that our activities can disturb our neighbors. Parking is one of the primary issues. Please do not park in front of any neighbors’ homes. If there are no spaces on Commonwealth Avenue, go over one block to Woodlawn Avenue, which runs parallel to Commonwealth, and park there.
The Meeting is a busy and vibrant place, even on many nights during the week. We can disrupt family life if we are not always careful about where we choose to leave our cars.
The Richmond Friends welcome your use of our Meetinghouse and ask that you adhere to the procedures delineated below. Please note that these policies apply not only to Richmond Friends but to all who utilize the Meetinghouse.
It is important that each group using the Meetinghouse provide a contact person. This person is ultimately responsible for advising Richmond Friends of your group’s needs, paying any and all fees, and the overall use and resulting condition of the facilities. For information regarding scheduling use of space at the Meetinghouse call Bob Alexander at 358-9712. Leave a message on the answering machine (please speak your number slowly and clearly) and Bob will be back in touch with you within 24 hours.
Richmond Friends’ Meetinghouse is composed of two structures: the “Frame Building” is entered from Kensington Avenue. The “Brick Building” is located behind the Frame Building and is entered from Commonwealth Avenue.
General Policies and Procedures:
PLEASE NOTE: A CHECKLIST FOR EXITING THE BUILDING MAY FOUND AT THE END OF THIS BROCHURE FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE.
SPECIFIC RFM POLICIES
Smoking: No smoking is allowed within the Meetinghouse, on the grounds, nor in the playground. An ash container may be found next to the Commonwealth Avenue entrance and we ask that tobacco products be extinguished there (this prevents a need for policing the grounds.)
Alcohol: No alcohol may be consumed in the Meetinghouse nor on the grounds.
Candles: Please use caution when burning candles. In addition to being a fire hazard, hot wax can damage carpets and floors.
Wedding Decorations: All wedding decorations should be removed after the ceremony.
Telephone: A telephone is located on the 3rd floor of the brick building; an answering device receives INCOMING calls after the 4th ring. Local OUTGOING calls may be made for ten cents per call.
Furniture: Please do not move the benches in the Meeting Room for Worship. Furniture moved from one area of the Meetinghouse to another should be returned to its original location; this is also applies to toys, books, equipment and supplies in the children’s rooms. Furniture should not be borrowed from the Meetinghouse without RFM approval.
Shutters: Please do not close the exterior window shutters.
Fire Doors: Please keep fire doors closed when possible, and always close these doors before exiting the building.
MEETINGHOUSE ACCOMODATIONS
Light and Fan Controls
Brick Building:
Inside the Commonwealth Avenue doorway:
All other ceiling lights have pull strings.
Frame Building:
Electrical Outlets
Brick Building: Numerous outlets are found throughout the brick building.
Framed Building:
The elevator connects all three floors of the brick building and will only operate if all the doors to the elevator shaft are closed. The grated doors in the elevator must also be closed. The top switch in the control panel in the middle of the car is the car’s light switch. Turn the key in the keyhole for the floor you wish to go to; the top keyhole for the third floor, the middle keyhole for the second, etc. Do not remove the key from the car.
Frame Building: This thermostat is automatically activated every First Day morning during cold weather. To heat the frame building at other times go to the furnace room in the1st floor of the Brick Building (across from restrooms) and change the wall switch (found above the water heater) form “Automatic” to Manual.” Please remember to return the switch to “Automatic” before leaving.
NOTE: It may take 30-60 minutes to warm the Frame Building.
Brick Building: The thermostat for this building is located on the 2nd floor. Switches should be left at “Auto” and “Heat.” The temperature should be set between 68-70 degrees. Please return the control to the far left position before leaving. DO NOT TURN OFF!!
RICHMOND FRIENDS’ MEETINGHOUSE
CHECKLIST BEFORE LEAVING THE MEETINGHOUSE
Thanks for your cooperation.
This is the entrance to the Meeting Room for Worship, located at 4500 Kensington Avenue. We began worshiping here in 1957 and most people find our Meetinghouse timeless, quaint, and charming in its simplicity. Our facility is comprised of two buildings, the Meeting Room for Worship and the Religious Education Building.
Meeting Room
The Meeting Room for Worship is a traditional Quaker Meeting Room, beautiful and calming in its simplicity; one senses serenity and light within this space. The Meeting Room is carpeted and is climate controlled. There is a piano, and the room is delightfully warm in its acoustics.
Community Room
The Multi-purpose Room is carpeted, spacious and well lit. The room can comfortably accommodate approximately 120 people. A white board is available for use at presentations. Receptions, banquets, forums, seminars, dances, and other artistic performances have occurred here. The room may be divided in two by use of a sliding wall.
Kitchen
Clean, plentiful counter space has been incorporated in the kitchen’s design and aids food preparation. The kitchen, located on the first floor of the Religious Education Building, has the space to cook for many people. There is a pass-through from the kitchen to the Multi-purpose Room that facilitates serving at banquets and receptions.
Classrooms
Our five classrooms are well lit, carpeted and suitably furnished; they are ideal for small group meetings and are used by some organizations for worship. Located in our Religious Education Building, these rooms have been used by brides and their attendants to dress for wedding ceremonies. We have audio-visual equipment if needed. Our library (not pictured) contains Quaker literature, histories, and other socially relevant writings; it, too, can be used as a changing room for a wedding.
The Building Committee, requests that Financial Stewardship consider and recommend to the next Meeting for Business on December 19, 2004, a $43,000 increase in the construction budget for the Religious Education Building. This increase will be used to solve two major problems that have been encountered during the early stages of construction. If approved, the overall budget for the expansion and renovation of the RE Building would increase from $590,000 to $633,000.
The first problem is the need to replace the first floor of the Religious Education Building. When holes were dug to tie the foundation of the addition to the existing building, the builders discovered that our existing floor consists of only one inch of a mortar-like material over one inch of gravel. (Apparently they were cutting corners in 1937). This floor should be removed and replaced with four inches of gravel and four inches of concrete. The cost for removal and replacement is approximately $30,000. Labor costs are high for this change order because it is not feasible to bring large power equipment into the building to dig up the old floor. A new floor will solve many of the moisture problems we have experienced over the years–a problem we would have had to address with or without this renovation.
The second problem concerns the elevation of the outdoor meditation area and the need to prevent flooding in the stairwell of the new side door of the multipurpose room. The builder and architect tell us the elevation of the meditation patio needs to be raised by ten inches to ensure that water drains away from the building. An additional step will have to be added to the stairwell. A new retaining wall will be constructed along with a concrete swale to drain water out to Kensington Avenue. In addition, the existing ramp for persons with disabilities will receive a new foundation. The total cost of these changes totals $13,000. (Note: we do wonder why these elevation and drainage issues were not identified prior to construction. We will address this with the architect in our next meeting.)
When we began the construction phase of this project, we had a contingency fund of $30,000 to pay for unexpected expenses. As one can see, the two problems discussed above clearly exceed this amount. In addition, there are other expenses we have incurred or expect that will be paid from the contingency fund. For example, we had to employ an independent, engineering firm to test the steel and concrete at critical stages of construction, and we have asbestos in our window glazing, floor tiles, and glue that must be removed by a specialized company. The good news is that there is no asbestos in our ceiling tiles and glue.
There is some urgency in our deciding how best to handle this situation. If we choose not to increase our budget, we will have to delete something from our current design. The only line items the Building Committee could identify were the replacement windows on the second floor of the RE Building, the new insulation for the north wall, and the drywall over that insulation. Cost savings by eliminating these items would be about $22,000. If we choose this path, we need to inform Century Construction this coming week so they will not order the replacement windows for the second floor. The downside of this choice would be our missing the opportunity to achieve new energy savings. If we replace these windows at a later time, the costs will be more, and we would have to move out of the RE Building a second time. We do not recommend this course of action.
It should be noted that the Building Committee is asking for permission to spend an additional $43,000 only if absolutely necessary. The estimates for the proposed work were made on the high side, and thus, we are hopeful that the actual costs will be less. We are looking for some cost savings during construction in the electrical area where we may have more in the budget than actually required. There also may be more money in the budget for furnishings than needed. Another possibility to reduce the amount we have to borrow is to ask Building and Grounds to spend some of our major maintenance funds to pay for part of the new floor.
Below are the construction and contingency budgets and along with the charges to the contingency budget to date plus anticipated charges.
Construction Budget $440,503
Contingency Budget $30,000
Anticipated charges to contingency other than the floor ($30,000) and meditation area drainage problem ($13,000)
Engineering inspections and tests $6,000
Hardware for one-hour fire doors 8,000
Undercut for foundation tie-in 1,500
Asbestos removal (floor tiles, window caulk) 5,000
Total to date $20,000
In summary, if this request is approved, we are authorized to spend up to $43,000 to replace the first floor in the RE Building and make the changes in the meditation area to prevent flooding. This increase will allow us to proceed with our plans to install replacement windows, new insulation, and drywall on the second floor of the RE Building. We will be able to meet the contingencies we have already encountered and still have $10,000 remaining in our contingency fund. The Building Committee recommends the approval of this request in a timely manner to avoid delays in the construction schedule and increased costs.
Submitted to Financial Stewardship on December 12, 2004, on behalf of the Building Committee by Howard Garner, Clerk of the Construction Subcommittee.
1795 — “At a Monthly Meeting held at White Oak Swamp. 2nd day, 7th month, 1795. The members of Swamp Meeting were joined to Richmond Meeting which is to be held on First and Fourth days of the week, and to begin on the First Day the 15th of this month.” (Valentine Museum typescript, 1795) [See VA Historical Marker]
1796 — Minutes mention Friends in Richmond meeting in “the present room.” (Valentine typescript, 10th of 1 month, 1796)
— “At a Monthly Meeting held at White Oak Swamp 4th of the 6th mo. 1796. The Friends of Richmond through the channel of the Preparative Meeting requests the approbation of this Meeting to build a Meeting House there.” (Valentine type script, p. 254)
1797 — “11-4-1797 — The Committee appointed by last Meeting to consult with Friends of Richmond in respect to getting a more suitable lot there for the purpose of building a Meeting House, reported that they had attended to the service and fixed on one the lower side of Shockoe Creek which is procured for that purpose instead of the other one proposed; and the size of the house extended to forty feet square, which is in considerable forwardness, the completion whereof is left to the Committee appointed for that purpose.” (White Oak Swamp Monthly Meeting minute, summarized from Valentine typescript)
1798 — “At a Monthly Meeting at White Oak Swamp on 5th day of the 5th month 1798: Queries to Meeting — One new Meeting House built in Richmond.” (Summary of Valentine typescript, p. 281)
Mary Winston’s needlework thought to be in the first Friends Meeting House built by George Winston. It was embroidered by Mary Winston in 1806. The buildings near the bottom are two views of the Richmond Friends Meeting house located at 19th and Cary Street.
Contributed by Donna Rugg
Portrait of Hannah Watts Clarke, circa 1840, with first Richmond Friends Meetinghouse visible through window.
1810 — The location of the meetinghouse is shown on the northeast corner of Cary and 19th Streets. (“Richmond Virginia in Old Prints,” Johnson Publishing Co., 1932,) p. 32.)
1819 — The Samuel Parsons House at 601 Spring Street was built from 1817 to 1819. The Parsons were members of the Richmond Meeting which met at 19th and East Cary Streets. Samuel Parsons was superintendent of the nearby Penitentiary during the 1820’s. The building later became Spring Street Home for Unwed Mothers, then harbored pensioners, then the Welfare Department. (M.W. Scott, p. 212)
1836 — “In 1836, the meeting house was so badly damaged by fire that it was necessary to appoint a committee to consider the matter of rebuilding…. It would seem from the records that $250 was received toward the rebuilding of the new meeting house. We suppose this amount was in addition to what was raised from the sale of the church property. At any rate, a new meeting house of frame, surrounded by a high brick wall, was built at the corner of 19th and Cary Streets, date not given.” (“Richmond Friends” by Matthew F. Woodard, 1929)
1853 — Description of the first meetinghouse: “Their earliest meetinghouse was of brick, with a graveyard just north of it….In 1853 a writer in the Dispatch described the rude building with its unpainted interior set in a graveyard without stones but covered with eglantine — an oasis in the desert of factories and warehouses.” (Scott, p. 67, citing the Richmond Times Dispatch June 15th, 1853.)
1862 — During the War between the States, the meetinghouse was forcibly occupied by Confederate troops. It was located between Castle Thunder (prison for Southerners) and Castle Libby (prison for Federal soldiers). It may have been used as a hospital, according to oral tradition. (Letter from Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting, 1st mo., 27th 1875, quoted below)
— The deed for the lot on 19th and Cary St. was sold, except the graveyard, in 1862. Three lots in Hollywood Cemetery numbered 121, 122, and 123 in Section L were purchased for $173 n 1863. (Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting Minutes, 1862, p. 218. Richmond Monthly Meeting Minutes, 9th month, 12th, 1894 p. 17)
1867 — “One building of a public character that survives is Springfield Hall…which was erected at 16th and M around 1850. Just after the Civil War the Society of Friends used this as its meetinghouse.” (Scott, p. 24. Picture is on p. 22.)
Springfield Hall, 26th and M (700 26th Street), 1867-1868
l868 — Location of the meetinghouse built after the Civil War was on the south side of Clay Street, west of First. In 1955 it was still standing and used as the Moses Memorial Baptist Church. (Richmond Times-Dispatch July 17th 1955) Pictures of this meetinghouse’s interior are to be placed in the Quaker Collection, Haverford College.)
9 East Clay Street, 1868-1909
1871 — Management of Friends Orphan House for Colored Children built by Friends (East corner of St. Paul Street and West Charity Street) after the Civil ended was officially offered to the colored churches of Richmond and Manchester. [See VA Historical Marker.]
1875 — “Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting of Friends, Richmond, Va. 1st Month, 25th, 1875 [See VA Historical Marker]. Dear Friends: Friends of the above Monthly Meeting earnestly solicit thy favorable consideration and pecuniary assistance in liquidating the liability incurred by the building of their new meeting-house. During the war the old meeting-house, situated betwixt Castle Thunder and Castle Libby, was forcibly taken possession of by the Confederate soldiery, and friends, after suffering much annoyance, found shelter for a while in a private house, and afterwards in a rented room. Before the close of the war the old meeting-house was sold for Confederate money, and the proceeds invested in railroad bonds, from which loss was sustained.. . .“ (Letter signed on behalf of Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting by John B. Crenshaw, et al)
1909 — The property on Clay street was sold, and meetings were held, for the most part, in the YMCA Building, second floor. (Woodard, p. 1)
1929 — Friends purchased a building “constructed of plain white stucco. It is quite attractive, because of its simplicity and beauty. The location is good being opposite a small park and in the midst of a very good residential section.” (Woodard, p. 1) This meetinghouse was located at the north east corner of Park and Meadow. (Ulrich Troubetzkoy, “The Society of Friends in Richmond,” Richmond Times Dispatch, 1955)
1804 Park Avenue, 1929-1945
1943 — Friends met at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church during the winter due to war—time fuel shortages. (Richmond Monthly Meeting Minutes, February 15, 1953)
1945 Sale of the Meetinghouse at 1804 Park Avenue at the north east corner of Park Avenue and Meadow Street, to Calvary Pentecostal Tabernacle of the Assemblies of God for $16,750 cash. Friends felt it inadvisable to buy another meeting house on the current market. (Richmond Monthly Meeting Minutes, 5-13-45, pp. 205, 208)
— Friends met In an annex on the east side of Tabernacle Baptist Church ‘ 115 Grove Avenue, or In the YMCA from l9 through 1953. (Richmond Monthly Meeting Minutes, February 15, 1953)
1953 — Friends met at 2702 Grove Avenue in a converted residence. (Richmond Monthly Meeting Minutes, December 7, 1952) This was sold because it did not meet fire regulations. (Jessie Frazer Hartley interview, April 8, 1979)
2702 Grove Avenue, 1953-1957
1957 — The current meetinghouse at 4500 Kensington Avenue was purchased from Colonial Place Christian Church. “The Meeting approves the minute that the Trustees of the Meeting be authorized to negotiate a real estate transaction for the sale of 2702 Grove Avenue at $16,500 and the subsequent purchase of 4500 Kensington Avenue at $l7,500, or otherwise, the transaction to be at any differential of $1000.” (Richmond Monthly Meeting Minutes, February 14, 1957)
4500 Kensington Avenue, 1957-present
4500 Kensington Avenue Deed of Sale, 1957
[Narrative above from: Hughes, Mary Fran (1979). The History of Richmond Friends Meeting 1795-1962 (Appendix – Location of Richmond Friends Meetinghouses). Unpublished. Link to full document: THE HISTORY OF RICHMOND FRIENDS MEETING 1795-1962 ]